Abstract
Using discarded materials from manufacturing is a design strategy to support a sustainable future by using already circulating resources. This study introduces the visions of pluralism to the design activity of designing an aesthetic unity with materials previously rejected for their imperfections. Drawing on the psychophysical, organisational, and meaningful properties, the research examines a best-case study involving the design of an indoor door made from wasted pinewood. Emphasising the design of joints and transitions internally in the door, the designers achieve aesthetic unity through the deliberate composition of pinewood pieces, characterised by soft, rounded transitions between them. Designing meetings between materials in a product design made from waste is a pivotal element in designing a uniform design that is aesthetically pleasing from a psychological point of view. From the research lens of plurality, the expert designers aesthetically emphasise diversity and imperfections in the waste materials but miss the opportunity to let the available
Keywords
Aesthetics; Imperfections; Product design; Sustainability; Pluriversal design
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.32
Citation
Sander, N.,and Laursen, L.N.(2025) Aestheticising material imperfections: Diverse waste, in Brandt, E., Markussen, T., Berglund, E., Julier, G., Linde, P. (eds.), Nordes 2025: Relational Design, 6-8 August, Oslo, Norway. https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.32
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Aestheticising material imperfections: Diverse waste
Using discarded materials from manufacturing is a design strategy to support a sustainable future by using already circulating resources. This study introduces the visions of pluralism to the design activity of designing an aesthetic unity with materials previously rejected for their imperfections. Drawing on the psychophysical, organisational, and meaningful properties, the research examines a best-case study involving the design of an indoor door made from wasted pinewood. Emphasising the design of joints and transitions internally in the door, the designers achieve aesthetic unity through the deliberate composition of pinewood pieces, characterised by soft, rounded transitions between them. Designing meetings between materials in a product design made from waste is a pivotal element in designing a uniform design that is aesthetically pleasing from a psychological point of view. From the research lens of plurality, the expert designers aesthetically emphasise diversity and imperfections in the waste materials but miss the opportunity to let the available